Project SPLAT for May 2010: Flashlights

The month of May 2010, “Project SPLAT” is encouraging every home to have a good quality alternative light source for when electricity is unavailable.

Most homes have flashlights and batteries, however, in a disaster you will need these lights for many hours and many days. If you buy batteries and throw them in the cupboard or drawer with your “other” batteries, you may have a problem in a disaster with batteries that are old and leaking or dead, or the wrong size. This could be very frustrating. Take time this month to look at your flashlights and check out the bulbs and batteries they take. Make sure you have additional on hand.

If you have camping equipment, you probably have lanterns and fuel for those. Remember propane should NOT be used inside an enclosed area since it displaces oxygen and could cause asphyxiation.

There are many types of lights that are available for use, however the newer flashlights that use LEDs put out a brighter light. If you want to have your hands free, you may want to get a “head-lamp” that fits on an elastic strap on your head. Then you can accomplish tasks and see up close without holding on to or trying to balance a flashlight.

If you want to light up an area or room, you can get A light created to light up the inside of a tent. They are not as bright as your home lights, but they can lighten up a room for everyone at the same time, so everyone may not need a flashlight if you place them in the rooms most occupied. Contact: OUTBACK FLASHLIGHTS to order these.

For a flashlight that is rechargeable and can be recharged and used for 100 years you may want to invest in a real good one. These are tough and will work after it is dropped or driven over. For these check out the LA Police Gear website.

Remember: After a disaster you could be without electricity for weeks, or months. Depending on the time of year, you could spend many mornings and evenings in the dark. Having a good dependable light source could help make these hours bearable for you and your family.

“Project SPLAT” is brought to you by your local CERT Team! The Millard Co. Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Dekker support CERT.

SPLAT July 2010

Tuesday, 20 July 2010 07:52

Project SPLAT for July!

For the month of July we are recommending alternate

cooking sources, because gas & electricity may not be

available after a disaster.

As an alternative cooking source, you can use your propane camping cook stove, or a gas barbeque grill. Just remember, your equipment is only as good as the fuel available to keep it running. You can even use an outdoor fireplace or fire pit if you happen to have one. Cooking with Dutch ovens on an open fire works well. Be cautious if you plan on using your indoor fireplace. Chimney damage could result in asphyxiation issues with smoke and carbon monoxide, as well as a producing a fire hazard. Also, we need to consider the need to evacuate our homes and to be without our current cooking sources for a month or more.

Relying on your backyard grill may leave you disappointed if it doesn’t survive the disaster, you are out of fuel, or had to evacuate. You will have to decide for your family what you think will work best for you. However, we have found an alternate cooking source that is relatively inexpensive, dependable, lightweight, and burns 50-70% cleaner than open fires; using 40-50% less fuel.

For this month CERT is offering the residents of Millard County the opportunity to purchase a Rocket Stove by StoveTec at a much reduced cost. A Rocket Stove is about the size of a 5 gallon bucket. They can use any burnable fuel source (ie: dry weeds, sticks, dry dung, dry grass, canned fuel, charcoal, coal, etc.). They are highly efficient; Perfect for the person who has to evacuate and live on their own for any period of time.

These are the same stoves being sold in the Earthquake, Hurricane and Tsunami ravaged & impoverished parts of our world.

We will be making an order of 50 Rocket Stoves to get a deal of $48.00 each, which includes shipping & handling.

If you go to the website: www.stovetec.net you can check out the wood-charcoal stove, which sells there for $69.00. Orders need to be placed by July 30th. You may order as many as you want, but they will be on a first come - first served basis. To place an order, and for order confirmation, email
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or call Janet Lindquist: 435-979-0629.

SPLAT October 2010

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 08:25

October 2010 “Project SPLAT” disaster preparedness for the community!!

In honor of fire prevention month we are focusing on Smoke Detectors, Fire Extinguishers and Carbon Monoxide Detectors.

Every home should be equipped with smoke detectors, they are traditionally placed outside of bedrooms and on ceilings since smoke rises. They may be wired into your electrical system, with a battery “back up”or run on batteries. If you change these batteries every time you change your clocks in the Spring and Fall, you can be more certain of them working when you need them to.

If your smoke detector is beeping or chirping and it’s not from smoke and you have changed the batteries, you can ask your local firemen to help you understand what the problem is. Sometimes steam from a bathroom can make one chirp. You may need to move it to a better location. DO NOT remove the batteries just because it is annoying! You may be without this life saving alarm system when you need it the most!

Fire Extinguishers should be available in every home and business. If you have never used a fire extinguisher you may be frustrated and panicked when you need to. As with most emergency equipment, the equipment is only as good as the knowledge of the user. If you would like to attend an exercise on using a fire extinguisher and fire safety, please contact your local CERT team for a training. If you are not certain who they are contact Janet Lindquist at 435-979-0629.

Most household fire extinguishers are a “Class C.” They are for ordinary combustibles, such as paper and plastic. The one in your home should be 5 to 10 lbs. They usually have a “gauge” which shows a red and green section. Your extinguisher should show in the green. NOTE! If you have an extinguisher which has been sitting in the same place for years and years, the dry chemical inside can become a lump which doesn’t propel when the handle is finally pressed. You will need to turn it upside down and give it a shake every 6 months or so to keep it from lumping in place. If you are not sure yours is working or if you have used yours and need it recharged, you can have it checked by Central Valley Fire Safety, located in Delta, Utah, 435-864-2632.

Grease fires in your home are best put out by covering or “smothering” to prevent the air from fueling it. NEVER throw water on a grease fire! (Oil, grease, gasoline, kerosene) OR an electrical fire! (Appliances, computers, TV’s, etc).

Always remember to CALL 911 in the event of ANY fire in your home! Even if you have put your fire out with your extinguisher, it is best to have your local firemen check to make sure it is truly out and the area deemed safe. You would not want a spark to ignite hours or days later when you are sleeping or gone from home.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors are important in all homes today. They can be purchased at your local hardware stores and usually plug into an electrical source and have a battery back up system. If you have a fireplace or attached garage you should install one on the main level that they are on. Carbon Monoxide fumes stay low to the ground and are known as the “silent killer”, since they are odorless and you and your family may not even know it is killing you. Know the signs of Carbon Monoxide poisoning! Listlessness and lethargy, combined with nausea will be the first early signs and if more than a couple people shows signs and symptoms go outside immediately, if your symptoms go away, open up the windows and air out the living quarters. Check your fireplace for a smoldering fire and your garage for car exhaust vapors escaping into the house. If you need an ambulance call 911 immediately! This can be life threatening! Winter months are the most dangerous for fires and carbon monoxide poisonings. With these easy prevention tips you can be sure of having a safe winter months ahead.

Project “SPLAT” is brought to you by the Millard County Sheriff's Office, Millard County CERT and Sheriff Robert A. Dekker!

SPLAT December 2010

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 08:41

December 2010 “Project SPLAT”

On behalf of the Holiday Season and the time we contact all friends and family, we will be using this month to make sure we all have an “out of state contact”.

This contact would be used in the event of a disaster when our phone communication “in state” may be cut off. When disasters happen, there are times when our phone system can be used only for emergency communication. In this event you will find your land line and cell phones completely useless. However, when your service does return, your land line will have a better chance of working to contact someone out of our state, on a land line, before you can call someone just down the street. You may think your cell phone would be a good “back-up”, however, cell phone systems quickly become overloaded and you may find yourself without communication to friends or family for weeks.

Everyone should have at least one “land line phone”, the type that plugs into your wall. For this reason, we are asking everyone to contact someone out of state to be your “emergency contact” for your family. You will need to instruct them that in the event of a disaster in your area, they will need to help get information from you and your family to each other. You will need to give them all of your home, work, school and cell phone numbers. (Remembering that the cell phones may not be working- it would be best to have a back up land-line number). Make sure all of your family has the same emergency contact person and phone numbers as well. When you call your out of state emergency contact person, let them know the situation, your condition, location and any other contact number you want them to have. Remember, this system can be overloaded as well and we need to work together. Have a practice “dry run” with your system and your contact person, make sure they understand how this should work! Everyone will need to carry the phone numbers in a safe place such as in a wallet, purse or glove box and with them at all times.

Project SPLAT is brought to you by the Millard County Sheriff's Office, CERT and Sheriff Robert A. Dekker.